Ruins

all i can think about is how gruesome his death was. i tossed. i turned. i felt my face turn pale as the images of the boy who had been set to flames burned into my skull into my mind. that could of been Marceline, he had looked about her age, or what if it had been Raphael? what if we pissed off the wrong people and there was a hunt for our skins? would we be next? i dug my nails into my thigh i had to stop thinking i needed rest it would be my turn to take watch soon. it felt like the only world id ever known was the ruins of the world before yet here i am still in shock of how cruel humans seem to be. Marceline or "Marcie" my six year old sister snored lightly in her sleep tucked in besides me. I pushed a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. I often tell her stories of how times were before the downfall which for me started to seem like fairy tales as much as they did to her. id tell her about how children her age would go to a school and learn how to read and write with other children although now it seemed all we had to teach our children was kill or be killed, "they must learn to survive or die trying." My dad once barked at his new wife. He had captured her from a nearby make shift village hidden deep in the caves of the mountains of gual. i shivered my father loved us he really did at one point but the downfall...it changed him. It changed everyone and everything. Economies crashed. Political parties would have riots that soon turned into wars, that turned once thriving cities into burnt out ruins decaying with the thousands of dead bodies that piled and piled. everyone one was out to get everyone for anything. i curled up closer to my sleeping Marcie. how did she kept her innocence in a filthy planet like ours?

"Effeline?" I heard Ralphie my brother quietly ask into the dark tent.

"Ya?"

"They're here. The traders."

Suddenly i felt my own self being engulfed in flames from the inside. They burned that little boy for not fulfilling a trade like he had promised. I wanted to take out my knife and cut them piece by piece the bastards! No mercy for the young! How do they sleep at night! How does anyone in this god forsaken place sleep at night?

"We have bullets in exchange for meats or slaves." One of the trio of traders grunted at my brother as i carefully made my way out of the tent making sure they couldn't see Penny resting peacefully inside unaware of our bargaining with the thugs.

"Lucky for you we have some left over deer. Already skinned so i mean we have gotten the hard work done for ya, now you just have to cook the remaining bits of the bastard." Raphael stood tall proud and firmly on the ground he wasn't as big or brutely as the any of the three men, but they were no match to us. We knew this already seeing that they're giving away bullets for merely meats meant they didn't have a gun to hunt their own game or any hunting weaponry for that matter. How they lasted the downfall this long only heavenly creatures know.

"You're a pretty young thing." The smaller of the three noted on me eyeing me up and down. "Wanna trade her too?"

"Why you slimmy...." I began to reach for my duel blades.

"Effy!.." My brother hissed at me. That's not part of the deal you're lucky i don't shoot you where you stand for even asking." Danny snarled at them.

"Don't be so noble! it was only a question! "

"We're fair dealers." i piped up. "Not black traders." I spat in what seemed to be the leaders face.

He grinned as he whipped it off. "You got a tough lass on your hands here aye? Well ill tell you what you can keep her and your meat us no good "black traders" will take our business and bullets else where. Be weary though fiery princesses like that get burnt to a crisp if you're not careful."

"Don't threaten my sister. Just get on with your lives." Ralphie followed close behind making sure they weren't trying to pull a 180 and turn around and put their money where there mouth is. I had ruined our only hope for more bullets. It'll be another weeks journey most likely to even hear the word on where to find more bullets. I took a deep breath. I could feel ralphies angry glance burn into my back. My ass was grass.

"What were you thinking effy? That was not a trade we could afford to blow off!" he scowled.

"We shouldn't get involved with black traders dad would of done the same thing and you know it! "

"Effeline in case youre forgetting we left dad for that exact reason, his pride was a risk. to all of us..."

i paused to take a deep breath before i started replying hatefully a group divided does not survive.

"Dad may have taken many risks that put us a tightrope but rogue trade deals weren't one of them. they would kidnap me anyways and what if they took Marcie too? at least now they know we're fighters."

He shook his head and sat down, "i guess we'll both be staying up tonight in that case."

my heart dropped he was obviously exhausted.  maybe i did make a self righteous move.

"No ill stay up and keep good watch give me your gun. i can handle it." 

he flashed a sarcastic grin, "of course you can."